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Time to Review the Exam Review

ACE currently offers online exam review courses for all four certifications: Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Health Coach and Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist. These courses are self-paced, recorded lectures that include slides, quizzes and fill-in-the-blank exercises. Each one covers the key topics of the exam content outline, then goes step-by-step through the required knowledge and skill sets to help you gain deeper insight into how to apply what you are learning to your career as a fitness professional. Each course is a great supplement to what you are reading in the manuals, providing another format for you to acquire the information presented in the books. The online exam review courses offer a classroom-like feel, with a teacher lecturing over the material while you follow along with the Power Point slides. We all learn in different ways and want to make the most of our study time, and this guided lecture can help you focus on what is most important for your exam.

The Personal Trainer and the Health Coach online exam reviews are included in the Academy Elite and Academy Select packages, while the Group Fitness Instructor and Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist online exam reviews are included in the Deluxe and Premium bundles. But don’t worry if you’ve already made a purchase and it did not include the online exam review—you can add the course on at any time and begin using it right away to enhance your learning experience as you prepare for your exam.

While the exam review is a great tool to help you review the study material, it is not a substitute for reading the manual. This is because the material in the exam review is not nearly as comprehensive or covered in-depth as it is in the manual. Rather, the exam review is designed to increase your comprehension of the material—not to teach it to you. However, the more methods you use to learn, whether it be visual or auditory, the easier it will be to absorb the information, so think of the exam review as a way to boost your learning experience and give you some structure.

So now that you know about the available exam reviews, when should you take it? If you are on the Study Coach Program schedule (weekly emails), you will receive notice toward the end of your program. If you are using the Academy Elite or Academy Select, you will be directed to use the online exam review course during your last lesson prior to taking your online practice tests. If you have already completed the reading and have not yet used the online exam review course, it’s not too late—this exam prep method is useful no matter when you use it.

If you are not sure if you purchased an exam prep bundle that includes the online exam review, please log into your account on www.acefitness.org and look for the ACE Academy Elite or Academy Select or, if you are preparing for your GFI or AHFS exam, look at your "My Online Courses" section. If you are still unsure, please give me a call in the ACE Resource Center at 800-825-3636, Ext., 741, and I will be happy to take a look for you.

By Christopher Gagliardi

Chris Gagliardi is the Study Assistance Administrator at ACE. Chris holds a BS in Kinesiology from San Diego State University, as well as a Certificate in Orthotics from Northwestern University Fienberg School of Medicine. As an ACE-certified Personal Trainer and Lifestyle and Weight Management Coach, as well as a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and NASM certified personal trainer, Chris takes great pride in sharing his enthusiasm for fitness with others and is committed to life time of learning. The idea of leading a healthy lifestyle was first introduced to Chris at the age of 12 when his father brought him to the gym for the first time. This first gym experience ignited a passion for life long fitness that would only grow stronger as the years went on. Chris has worked in the field of Health and Fitness in many capacities over the past 10 years, working with both youth and adult populations.